2009 Gift Ideas: gifts for on the road

You've heard of the "12 days of Christmas," right? Today, we continue our 12 days of holiday gift suggestions -- to help you embrace the season, not dread it. Our ideas will run through Dec. 8.

You've heard of the "12 days of Christmas," right? Today, we continue our 12 days of holiday gift suggestions -- to help you embrace the season, not dread it. Our ideas will run through Dec. 8.

TODAY: gifts for on the road

Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage

($49.95, at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and many local bookstores)

• Travelers who stick to interstates might miss a lot of the outdoor wonders that naturalist Jim McCormac and photographer Gary Meszaros explore in their new book.

But if you want to encourage your favorite day-tripper to slow down and smell the showy lady's slippers or spy a bald eagle, this book will show them how and where. Even if they never get off I-71, they can still enjoy some of Ohio's natural beauty vicariously.

Gotta Go sanitary travel mitts

($3.99 for a package of 20,

with free shipping through www.gottagomitts.com)

• Adults have a difficult time dodging germs in dodgy rest-stop restrooms, but kids struggle even more. Traveling parents will appreciate these thin waterproof disposable mittens packaged in a slim purse-size dispenser. They're made to fit the hands of children ages 2 to 7 and protect them from whatever is lurking on doorknobs, flush levers and anything else they might touch.

Yahtzee, Battleship and

Connect Four hand-held games

($9.99 at major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target)

• Hasbro has just released new travel versions of some classics -- perfect for playing in the back seat during a road trip. The pogo.com game Monopoly Slots is also available; all come with a 30-day membership to the pogo.com game Web site.

My Yoga 2 Go Practice System

($29.99 from

www.myyoga2go.com)

• Feeling achy after a long drive? Stretch out in your hotel room with this set of 71 yoga-pose cards suitable for beginners through experts. Each of the 71 3-by-5-inch cards illustrates a different yoga posture. The cards are color-coded for easy arrangement into exercise sequences.

Ultimate Ears Loud Enough earbuds

($39.99 at many retailers, including some Sears, Toys R Us and Kmart locations)

These days, many family car trips are marked by the sounds of silence, with everyone except the driver (we hope) wearing headphones and grooving out to their own tunes. That doesn't mean that some really loud music isn't reaching growing eardrums. The Loud Enough earbuds, designed for those

6 and older, have built-in sound-pressure protection that can reduce maximum sound levels by up to 20 decibels while maintaining sound quality, the company maintains.